Molecular Biology Program Mission Statement

The Molecular Biology Program is a collaborative program between six basic science
departments. The Program serves the students and faculty of the University of Utah
by providing excellence in graduate education. The Program coordinates relevant activities
and provides interdisciplinary training during the first year of graduate school that
is designed to equip students with a strong foundation for a career in the biomolecular
sciences. The Program coordinates activities such as student recruiting and admissions,
academic advising, career development, curriculum, and social events.

Following the first year, students leave the Program and formally enter one of the
six basic science departments to continue thesis research in one of the laboratories
of the Program faculty. The Program continues to monitor student performance after
the first year and encourages uniform standards and procedures between the participating
departments.

Program Administration & Committees

The Molecular Biology Program is governed by a director and steering committee.

There are six participating departments: Biochemistry, Biology, Human Genetics, Neurobiology
and Anatomy, Oncological Sciences, and Pathology.

The Steering Committee is the principal governing body of the Program. Its members
are:

The director

One department representative from each of the participating departments

Chairs of the curriculum, advising, admissions, and the recruitment committees

Two students

Department representatives to the steering committee are elected by each of the participating
departments.

Chairs of the admissions, curriculum, advising, and recruitment committees are chosen
by the Program director for a tenure of 2-3 years to coincide with the director’s
tenure. The director also selects the chair of the academic standards committee, although
that person does not serve on the steering committee.

The committee members are chosen by the committee chair. The selection of committee
members will be based on their suitability to the task at hand, as well as with regard
to keeping a balance of workload between Program members and an equal representation
of participating departments. Committees should include experienced members who can
provide historical perspective, new members who can provide fresh insight, and members
who are well qualified to serve as a future committee chair.

The following three recommendations are intended to enhance stability for the Program:

The steering committee composition should have overlap each year such that there will
always be some experienced members on the committee.

The future Program director should be identified a year in advance and attend steering
committee meetings for at least six months.

The future director should chose committee chairs about six months before taking office,
and these chairs should sit in on their respective committees to gain experience.

The new Program director is chosen by the current Program director with the following
stipulations:

The new director cannot be from the same department as the current director.

The director chosen must meet with the approval of the steering committee by a 2/3
vote. If the nominee is not approved, the director must submit the name of another
candidate until approval from the steering committee is achieved.

The director must be a full professor in one of the participating departments.

The Admissions Committee meets from the application deadline to the end of March.
This committee reviews applications and selects the students who will be invited for
interviews and accepted to the Program.

Committee members meet throughout the year with first year students to assist them
with their rotations, policies on behavior, and any problems that may occur.

Advising Committee Chair: Matt Mulvey

First year advisors are Program faculty who volunteer to counsel students during the
student’s first year. The Advisor's role is to help students with academic decisions
during their first year in the Program. Each advisor will work with approximately
six students.

Advisors are required to:

Meet with each student at least two times during each semester.

Sign their rotation verification forms.

Advise on elective choices.

Help with any issues regarding core courses.

Attend an orientation meeting in August.

Provide resources for other situations.

Alert program director and committee chair to student problems in choosing rotation.

The committee chair monitors student performance in core courses and alerts individual
academic advisors when a student appears to be performing poorly. In these cases the
advisor will meet with the student to discuss ways to improve performance and to remind
the student that a 3.0 GPA must be maintained and at least a B- earned for each course.

At the beginning of each year, advisors will receive a packet of information from
the Program office with pertinent information about their advisees and 1st year requirements.

The Curriculum Committee meets throughout the year and coordinates the graduate student
curriculum, working with course directors of the core courses, to evaluate the first
year curriculum and plan electives, literature review and grant preparation, and core
courses for next academic year. This committee is run jointly with the Biological
Chemistry Program, with co-chairs from each of the two Programs.

The Recruiting Committee meets throughout the year and reviews past recruiting projects,
i.e., brochures, web pages and new recruiting ideas. This committee is run jointly
with the Biological Chemistry Program, usually with the chair participating in both
Programs.

The Academic Standards Committee meets as required to review cases of alleged misconduct.
Unlike other committees, the chair of the academic standards committee does not serve
on the steering committee. This committee operates jointly with the Biological Chemistry Program. It is therefore essential that committee members fairly represent both programs.
Unlike other joint committees (curriculum and recruiting), the academic standards
committee has a sole chair rather than co-chairs.

It is reviewed by the participating departments via the department representativeswho are expected to bring issues to their department for discussion. (an e-mail summary is
also copied to the department chairs)

Final approval is by the Steering Committee

It is posted on the webpage

Academic Freedom

Statement from the Molecular Biology Program Regarding Academic Freedom and Conflict
of Interest and How it Pertains to Graduate Student Education

The free and open exchange of ideas and results is an important feature of research
in the Molecular Biology Program at the University of Utah. In this spirit, no graduate
student should be assigned to a thesis research project where the results obtained
will be unreasonably restricted from full public disclosure.

Restrictions including intellectual property reviews and collaborator/corporate reviews
of manuscripts are allowable under the auspices, where appropriate, of the Technology
Transfer Office. Full public disclosure includes thesis committee meetings, presentations
in formal and informal local seminars (research-in-progress meetings), local, national
and international meetings, and appropriate publications. For further information
please visit the Conflict of Interest web page for the University of Utah.

Student Requirements

Faculty Guidelines

This Program is developed and managed by participating faculty. Each member is expected
to participate in Program functions, including mentoring graduate students, teaching
courses, serving on committees, interviewing prospective students, and attending Program
events.

It is generally expected that all tenure-track faculty members from the six participating
departments will be accepted into the Program (Biochemistry, Biology, Human Genetics, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Oncological Sciences,
and Pathology).

Faculty members of departments outside the six MB departments are required to have
primary or adjunct status in one of the 10 participating departments for the Bioscience
PhD Programs.

All faculty members of the Molecular Biology Program belong to one or more Interest
Group(s).

Faculty are periodically requested to indicate their preference for a specific interest
group(s).

Any group of faculty in the Program can petition the steering committee to be recognized
as an interest group.

All Program faculty members strive to arrange space in their labs so that they can
accommodate at least one thesis student from each Molecular Biology Program class.

It is expected that the student will usually receive their degree in the participating
department.

Faculty are encouraged to only have one or two rotation students at one time. Faculty
should email the Program Director if they intend to have more than 2 rotation students
at a time.

In order to allow fair access to thesis labs, students and faculty should not make
firm commitments regarding choice of a thesis lab until the Monday after the end of
the last rotation (early March).

The Molecular Biology Program is responsible for students only during their first
year. Financial support beyond the first academic year is a departmental responsibility.

The Program recommends each participating department maintain the current stipend
amount but departments may vary on other support, i.e., insurance benefits. Please consult the individual department and potential thesis advisor about support
and coursework requirements.

Faculty Application to the Molecular Biology Program

Faculty who want to join the Molecular Biology Program should follow the guidelines
and email the requested CV and letters of support to the Bioscience PhD Office and
the Program Director.